Discusses the diverse nature of the North Platte section by section and reviews the varying characteristics of the water, its accessibility, and the seasonal changes that affect it. B&W photos, index, original line drawings, and fly patterns.
The tension between wildlife protection under the Endangered Species Act and water management in the Platte River Basin has existed for more than 25 years. The Platte River provides important habitat for migratory and breeding birds, including three endangered or threatened species: the whooping crane, the northern Great Plains population of the piping plover, and the interior least tern. The leading factors attributed to the decline of the cranes are historical overhunting and widespread habitat destruction and, for the plovers and terns, human interference during nesting and the loss of riverine nesting sites in open sandy areas that have been replaced with woodlands, sand and gravel mines, housing, and roadways. Extensive damming has disrupted passage of the endangered pallid sturgeon and resulted in less suitable habitat conditions such as cooler stream flows, less turbid waters, and inconsistent flow regimes. Commercial harvesting, now illegal, also contributed to the decline of the sturgeon. Endangered and Threatened Species of the Platte River addresses the habitat requirements for these federally protected species. The book further examines the scientific aspects of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's instream-flow recommendations and habitat suitability guidelines and assesses the science concerning the connections among the physical systems of the river as they relate to species' habitats.
When learning how to fly fish, the special knots you need to be successful are sometimes difficult to master. And for many anglers, when a leader breaks out on the stream or you need to add a new tippet to your leader, it's almost impossible to remember how to tie the best knot. This Pocket Guide is the perfect tool for you to carry in your fly vest whenever you're out on the water. Included are easy-to-understand illustrations for making sure your backing, fly line, leader and tippet will not fail when you're fighting the fish of a lifetime.
The South Platte River begins high atop the frozen Continental Divide, home to a chain of rugged 13,000-foot, snow-capped peaks. This region comprises lush valleys, meandering meadow streams, and rose-colored, boulder-filled canyons. For generations this area has been a recreation mecca and a fly fisher’s paradise in its purest form. Out of all the trout fisheries in America that are within an hour’s drive of a major metropolitan area, the South Platte River is clearly one of the best. It has become a river shrine to thousands of anglers on an annual basis and for good reason. Throughout the river’s entirety, the South Platte creates a series of reservoirs (Antero, Spinney, Eleven Mile, Cheesman, Strontia Springs, and Chatfield) that provide major metropolitan water storage systems for Denver Water and the City of Aurora. The by-products of these storage facilities are world-class tailwaters that provide anglers with year-round fishing opportunities. Against all odds, the South Platte River remains a world-class trout fishery abundant with some of the most finicky and challenging trout in the world. There’s a common belief among South Platte regulars—if you can catch trout on the South Platte; you can catch trout anywhere in the world. * Completely new maps and updated river, access, and fishing information * Regional experts like Landon Mayer, Greg Blessing, Jeremy Hyatt, Chris Wells, Richard Pilatzke and John Perizzolo, Rick Mikesell and many more, share insider information * New line up of cutting-edge fly patterns * Additional chapters on stillwaters and the Denver Metro Area
The author describes her purchase of six hundred wilderness acres in Wyoming and construction of a library-centric home where she contemplated her rich family history, including a river boat captain ancestor who met historical figures.
There have been many changes since Indians bathed at Saratoga's hot springs, mountain men trapped in area streams and millions of buffalo, elk and antelope grazed the plains. In Saratoga 150 Years, native and local author, Elva Evans, unfolds the history of Saratoga and the Upper North Platte River Valley through remarkable stories and historical photographs.